I should have been writing out the rest of the next chapter of Phantasmagoria and working on a NatorixTanuma fic, but this one won't get out of my head. [bows] I'm sorry.

Warning/s: NatorixMatoba, a lot of [yummy] Matoba torture/angst. Natsume either comes up way, way later and very, very little or not at all.

Not entirely my idea, this fic was born due to some certain artworks at Pixiv featuring young!Matoba.

Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right

Natsume Yuujinchou

Chapter 1

Exactly… what had happened…?

Just a few days ago, he was out fooling around with Shuuichi. Just a few days ago, they were kissing. In fact, they were kissing so much that they were gasping for air; it was as if they were dogs in heat. And then… And then he had sent him home, and they had a walk around his house, chatting, and then Shuuichi went home, and then he had gone for dinner…

Matoba didn't remember what happened after that.

All he knew was that his throat hurt, his head hurt, everything hurt. He has cramps from being crumpled on the ground for so long, but he didn't have the energy to move. Nobody came even if he screamed and yelled, so he gave up. And now because of that his mouth felt horribly dry. It hurt even to swallow his own saliva.

He was still in his school uniform, but his gakuran was nowhere in sight, thus reducing him to a shivering mess at night. Cotton fabric, even if it was long-sleeved, is nothing compared to the numbing cold seeping through the walls and the smooth ground.

He wasn't even sure whether there were any humans around him. The room he was in was dark, and the only window in the room was nailed shut. There was absolutely nothing else. It was dark outside, too. Sooner or later he lost track of time, and though he has a watch strapped to his left wrist it was broken.

Maybe, maybe an ayakashi had snuck into his room after he had eaten and abducted him to this godforsaken place. Or maybe he was in his own home, stuffed in one of the many rooms that he knew existed but had never ventured to.

Matoba drew in a shuddering breath and swallowed, one more painful time.

He had fallen asleep after that, for half an hour, at most. But what woke him up was a sound. It sounded like footsteps. However his hazy mind only realized that seconds later, and when he did he was torn between wanting to shout and alert the people outside that he was here in this fucking room and to shrink backwards into the darkness.

Then finally the door which he had failed to get open rattled and was slid open. In came men in suits who clearly delivered the message 'creepy and suspicious' across the room. If only he could stand up, he could maybe push past them and run out, but no, he was still frozen to his spot on the floor as the first man approached him and stooped down.

The teen made a small, questioning sound that barely made it past his lips, his eyes locked nervously on the man in front of him.

"Poor boy," he cooed. "Must've been hard on you. I'm sorry, but I can't have you stay awake just yet." He placed his hand on Matoba's face and shut his eyes for him.

The next time he woke up, he couldn't move for sure. He couldn't see or speak, either. He was bound to a chair and blindfolded, with a strip of cloth around his mouth, causing saliva to trail down his chin.

There were people around, he knew, as he could hear voices. He made a weak sound so as to bring their attention to him and explain the whole damn situation.

"My, he's awake. Untie his blindfold."

He felt the cloth loosen and blinked rapidly, trying to get his eyes to adjust to blinding light. When he did he glared up at the three men in front of him. He didn't recognize them.

"We're sorry to have involved you in such an unpromising condition, but know that we did it all for your safety. You haven't taken any food or drink for three days now, is it? You must feel very weak, but you'll bounce back soon enough."

"Pardon me."

He felt somebody behind him loop a rope around his neck, and his eyes couldn't help but widen.

"Isn't it great, now you can finally go back to the comfort of your home," another said in a sickly sweet voice.

"As a corpse though, what a shame."

"Nn…! ?"

The rope tightened, biting into his skin, choking him. Matoba tried to scream, get away, something, but any movement was restricted. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes.

"Ggh… Kuh!"

Then somebody threw the door open forcefully, startling everybody in the room, and marched in.

"What is the meaning of this…!" a female voice cried shrilly.

"What do you mean, 'what is the meaning of this', Nanase-san? We have to get rid of him."

"And? Why are the members of the council carrying this out without our consent? Our young master has nothing to do with you!"

A sigh. "We have gone through this many times, have we not? We have given you time to make him the next head, sent you a couple of trainers, even. But look at the outcome; it is always a blatant 'no' from him."

"That is no reason for you to kidnap a middle-schooler from right under our noses and kill him. Our times have changed, or haven't you noticed that? You could get in a row with the authorities if they find out you killed a teenage boy. And you, stop it!" she snapped, addressing the one strangling the life out of Matoba.

Once he felt the rope loosen he leaned heavily to the side and fell down. His arm hurt from the impact, since both were tied on the back of the chair, but anything to get him away from that man. His gag loosened too and he coughed and spluttered.

His eyes were spinning. Nanase-san… If he was right she worked for his clan.

"Then what do you suggest we should do? He clearly shows no interest, nor does he seem to possess powers any stronger than each of us do. Rather than having him tie us down, it's better to dispose of him. We should be looking for a replacement by now," the one with the sickly sweet voice continued, as if nothing had deterred him.

"But he's the only heir…!"

"Then he should come to terms with it and accept his fate," he said sternly. He then bent down and lifted Matoba's chin with a finger. "What do you say, Matoba-kun? Do you feel like becoming the clan head now?"

He couldn't utter a word. He just kept on sucking in precious oxygen.

And~ that's it. I know it's pretty short, but I just wanted to see whether there are people who like it. Or rather, I'll still update even if I don't get any response. XD

For people who wanna see Matoba's younger self, please look it up on Pixiv~ ^_^ His shorter hair just makes him more adorable! There's even something by a certain artist who drew Natorixshota!Matoba now that was cute.